Physicist Abraham Alikhanyan (Alikhanov)

Abraham Isahaki Alikhanyan (Alikhanov, 1904–1970) was born on 4 March 1904. He was one of the founders of nuclear physics in the USSR and one of the creators of the first Soviet atomic bomb. He founded the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, which bears his name.

His scientific work lasted more than 40 years. He had very wide interests and succeeded in almost everything, but at the end of his life he knew the bitterness of disappointment and pressure from the party authorities. The source describes him as a major scientist, an excellent organiser and a man who never made deals with his conscience.

In the photograph he wears a suit, a white shirt and a tie.